We studied a large sample of male children from birth to adulthood to determine why some
children who are maltreated grow up to develop antisocial behavior, whereas others do not.
A functional polymorphism in the gene encoding the neurotransmitter-metabolizing enzyme
monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) was found to moderate the effect of maltreatment. Maltreated
children with a genotype conferring high levels of MAOA expression were less likely to
develop antisocial problems. These findings may partly explain why not all victims of …

We studied a large sample ofmale children from birth to adulthood to determine why some
children who are maltreated grow up to develop antisocial behavior, whereas others do not.
A functionalpolymorphism in the gene encoding the neuro-transmitter-metabolizing enzyme
monoamine oxidaseA (MAOA) wasfound to mode¬ rate the effect ofmaltreatment. Maltreated
children with a genotype conferring high levels ofMAOA expression were less likely to
develop antisocial problems. These findings may partly explain why not all victims …